Boyzzz's Scare

Thabiso "Boyzzz" Khumalo, D.C. United's South African winger, was on the brink of returning from a broken wrist last week when the injury became infected -- a setback that will sideline him for at least four more weeks.

Read his harrowing tale:

"I didn't know there was an infection. What I knew was, I could feel something. When I held my hand up, I could feel stuff dripping under the cast. I didn't know what it was. I told the trainers. They just told me it was sweat because I was training and it was hot. Of course, I believed them, only to find out when I went to the doctor [as scheduled] to get a smaller cast, they opened it, and the nurse just looked at me and was like, 'You don't want to see this.' I was like, 'What do you mean?' I looked at it one time. It was like snot -- blue stuff, red stuff was coming out. It was nasty. I was like, 'What is this?' "

"I had to go straight to the hospital and they had to suck all that infection out. I was in the hospital last week, Monday to Friday. I had two or three operations to get it out. I thought maybe my arm had to come off. It was scary. It didn't hurt too much because they gave me the pills. I can't do any workouts for a while. I just have to relax, let it heal up and see what happens."

Gnarlz in Charge! I'm no doctor, not even close, but why would you put a cast over sutures? Seems like an infection lying in wait, especially for anyone who may be working out in the DC heat...
Bummer for him, and for the club.
When's this new forward guy coming in on loan?

If I was Boyzzz, I would go throat-punch the trainers with my good arm. When a player complains that something is dripping from a recent break or surgery area, you don't just blow him off. I would expect us to have a more professional training staff - especially after what Mark Simpson went through, I am surprised he would allow the trainers to be so nonchalant with one of his players.

If San Jose hears that he has blue goo inside him, will they try to get him away from us?

Wow I think DCU's training staff may need some uhh... TRAINING! Having been the recent victim of a wrist injury I would think that these trained professionals would know to maybe exam a little more closely before just dismissing the complaint.

He's lucky he caught it when he did, otherwise I'd hate to see what could have happened. Get well soon Boyzzz!

Utterly unacceptable. Chang has to hold these idiots accountable, this is no joke and could well have become life-threatening. Looks like the "Civil War Surgeon" (sharp knife, bone saw, whiskey & a bullet) might be an improvement over DCU's training staff. Sheesh.

The same training staff that has everyone in the hospital with a hernia or hamstring pull.

Posted by: I-270Exit1 | August 24, 2009 12:58 PM | Report abuse

I think "hernia surgery” is only reserved for the higher salary or veteran players who need to go visit the "hernia" doctor in Germany, because the 30 or more actual hernia surgeons who could do the “surgery” in DC aren't as "good".

In cycling they call it EPO.

The hamstring pulls are just a result of incompetent trainers and not enough stretching.

That's embarrassing for the staff. Basic lesson #1: Listen to the patient. "Dripping" is not normal inside a cast. And I agree with delantero, stitches inside a cast that you can't see through, not too bright.